


Step by Step

by HanaHimus



Series: Platonic Soulmates AU [2]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Eventual Fluff, Gen, Heavy Angst, Other, Platonic Soulmates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-16
Updated: 2015-04-16
Packaged: 2018-03-23 04:59:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3755335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HanaHimus/pseuds/HanaHimus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Seijuurou was going to do things his father's way. Find a soulmate, force himself into a relationship, and think nothing of it.</p>
<p>When he meets his soulmate, though, he decides maybe it'd be better to take it slowly, go step by step.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Dissapointments

**Author's Note:**

> Check out the lil oneshot that goes with this if you want some more backstory. If you don't feel like reading it, though:
> 
> In this AU, soulmates were recently found to be a platonic thing over a romantic. Akashi's family, however, still teaches him it is romantic. This AU is a lot of him struggling with unlearning that and being able to become comfortable knowing he doesn't have to force a romance.

Seijuurou realized a few months after the Winter Cup in his first year of high school that he had one very important thing he had to do. He still had to find his soulmate.

His father had been insisting on it, more than he had in middle school. If he didn’t find one by the end of his second year...It wasn’t going to end well.

Still, until he could find them, wherever they were...he could use a distraction, he decided. A distraction in the form of Shintarou’s new teammate, Kazunari.

That ended up being a mistake. A mistake that became one of two incidents that helped back him into a corner.

The day he planned on actually trying to ask Kazunari on a date started off well enough. He’d met with Shintarou and Kazunari at the train station, only for Shintarou to have to run off to Kanagawa to handle his own soulmate.

Even though hearing Ryouta’s name stung (those troublesome feelings for Shintarou from middle school seemed to still like to rear their ugly head), he almost felt a bit relieved as well. The less people around when he talked to Kazunari, the better.

At least, that’s what he thought until they began walking away from the train station and he felt his throat dry up. How was he supposed to bring the possibility of dating up when he couldn’t speak?

“So...Sei-chan,” Kazunari began, “is it okay if I call you that?”

Seijuurou blinked, a nickname? “Well… I don’t see why not.”

“Good! I was afraid I was moving too fast.” The black haired boy replied with a smile. “Don’t wanna push it, you know?”

“That’s understandable…” Seijuurou replied, trying to keep a blush from spreading across his face.

“Hey, you’re getting red, are you sick?” Well, he was doing badly, apparently.

“I’m fine, Kazunari, don’t worry.” He replied with a wave of his hand.

“If you say so.” Kazunari replied with a small, concerned frowned. “If you’re fine...where do you want to go?”

“...Anywhere is fine with me.” Seijuurou said with a shrug. He was already going to be asking a lot of Kazunari, no need to ask for more.

“Alright...then I guess we’ll just have to go window shopping.” Kazunari replied with a dramatic sigh. 

“I’m...sorry…?”

“Don’t worry about it, I’m just messing with you.” Kazunari replied with a snort. “You’re more fun than Shin-chan at least.”

“Well...that’s good…” Seijuurou mumbled, rubbing the back of his head. Maybe he should bring it up now, while Kazunari seemed to be in a fairly decent mood…

He cleared his throat, stopping and turning to the now confused Kazunari. “I was wondering--”

He didn’t make it past that before Kazunari’s phone started going off.

Kazunari fished the phone out, likely too shut it off before his eyes widened at the number and he looked up at Akashi.

“Would you be okay with me answering this real quick?” He asked. “I mean, I hate to interrupt, but it’s my soulmate, Miyaji-senpai if you can remember him from the Winter Cup, and we haven’t talked in a while…”

Miyaji...that was the third year that Kotarou had taken an interest in, wasn’t he? Number 8 if he remembered correctly. He hadn’t taken much interest in him, but now…

Now he was a second Ryouta.

“Go ahead, you should talk to him.”

 

-

 

The second incident, the one that really backed him into trying to find his soulmate came a few weeks later. All the teams with a member of the Generation of Miracles’ (Kuroko included) teams were, for some reason, having a party.

Apparently, it was a way to relax before games started in the next way (Well, for Rakuzan it was actually the next day in a practice match with Kirisaki Daiichi). Seijuurou didn’t really mind, though it stung seeing all his middle school friends speaking in low voices with their soulmates.

Tetsuya letting a small smile touch his lips as Atsushi leaned over him, mumbling something in his ear; Satsuki nagging Daiki about something as he ruffled her hair, obviously not paying attention...and Ryouta, hanging off Shintarou with a grin. He didn’t think he’d be able to handle it if Kazunari’s soulmate had been there too.

He shook his head with a shaky sigh, jumping when Taiga sat next to him.

“You don’t seem to be having much fun.” The taller boy said, trying to sound uninterested when he obviously was anything but.

“I just...don’t know how to react to all these pairs around me.” Seijuurou said, looking away. 

“Oh, all the...soulmates and stuff?” Taiga asked. “I can see why.”

“Oh?” Seijuurou raised an eyebrow. Maybe Taiga was like him, still trying and struggling to find his soulmate… Maybe he could be a friend who could support him while he tried to find his own. Tried to not disappoint his father. “Have you not found your soulmate yet, Taiga?”

“Huh?” Taiga blinked. “Oh no, no I found mine a long time ago in America. You know Himuro Tatsuya, Murasakibara’s teammate, right?”

“Yes, I know him.” Seijuurou’s brow furrowed in confusion. “I hear you call each other brothers…”

“We do and we’re soulmates.” Taiga replied, blinking. “What? You look kinda weirded out.”

“I...no, it’s nothing.” Seijuurou said with a wave of his hand. “Don’t worry about it Taiga.”

Great, not only did he not have a friend (at least not in the way he wanted) in Taiga, but his relationship with Tatsuya seemed...questionable. Seijuurou could never see himself calling someone he was going to be with the rest of his life “brother,” at least not if they were his soulmate.

“Well...if you say so.” Taiga replied with a sigh. “Anyway...you seem to be in a worse mood than when I came over. What’s up?”

“Nothing.” Seijuurou mumbled. “I’m fine…”

“Are you sure--”

Seijuurou sent a glare at the other redhead. “Taiga, weren’t you ever taught to not pry?”

“Oh, uh...sorry.” Taiga stood up. “I should just...go find Tatsuya and talk to him instead or something.”

As Taiga walked away Seijuurou frowned. He shouldn’t have gotten so angry…

But he felt so hopeless; at the rate he was going he would never find his soulmate. Everyone around him already finding theirs, why wasn’t he finding his? Was there something wrong with him…?

He decided he needed to start looking harder after the practice match the next day.


	2. "Yes, Father"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one day.  
> Warning for possibly mild homophobic talk at one point from Akashi's father? If any more than that rears its ugly head in this I'll add a tag. For now though, just adding an abuse tag.

Seijuurou was having trouble focusing. He was supposed to be warming up for the Kirasaki Daiichi match (even though he was asked by the coach to sit out, apparently there was a high chance of injury), not staring at the hoop.

Apparently, it didn’t take long for Kirisaki Daiichi’s captain to notice that, too.

“Hey, I’ve heard that the Generation of Miracles’ captain is a really focused guy, did something happen?” He asked, coming to the edge of the half court line. 

“That’s not your concern.” He replied, turning to look at the boy.

He knew who the boy was, Hanamiya Makoto. He was dangerous, too dangerous to be playing nice with before the match. Seijuurou should’ve just ignored him, gone on trying to warm up…

He was just too starved for interaction with someone he could at least pretend hadn’t found their soulmate like him to not at least hear what Hanamiya had to say.

“I was just trying to be nice.” Makoto replied, “I mean, it’d be a real shame if you got hurt playing today.”

“Good thing I’m not planning on playing today, then.” Seijuurou replied, giving a forced smile.

“Ah, too bad,” The black haired third year began, “I was looking forward to playing you.”

“Maybe some other time.” The redhead said, letting his forced smile grow larger.

“Are you sure? I’m sure you can still get on the line-up today.” Makoto chuckled.

“I don’t think so,” Seijuurou began, “I’m happy sitting on the--”

He sucked in his breath when he felt some sort of tugging at his chest, the only thought crossing his mind an “oh no.”

He’d read about this feeling, heard about it from many a person. Still, the textbook definition is what seemed to be at the forefront of his mind.

_ When an individual comes into contact with the one they are meant for, usually called a “soulmate,” they usually experience a tight, tug-like feeling at their chest. It usually seems to draw one closer to said soulmate, seemingly not satisfied until they touch. It is suggested to start with a small touch upon feeling this. _

“Fuck…” Makoto breathed out, trying to take a step back. “Fuck…”

The boy in front of him was his soulmate? How was he supposed to force himself to love someone so nasty?

Well, he could figure that out after getting the feeling to leave him alone.

“Come back here…” He forced out, taking a step forward. “Please…”

“Get away from me.” Makoto hissed out. “This...this isn’t happening…”

“Don’t back away...just touch my hand.” Seijuurou replied. “Don’t you want to get rid of that feeling in your chest?”

He reached out a hand tentatively, already fearing what was to come with Makoto’s initial reaction. 

Makoto hesitated before reaching out his own hand, letting their fingers brush for a second, just long enough to make the feeling fade away.

Seijuurou didn’t know if he should feel relieved or worried. On one hand, Makoto wasn’t touching him for a prolonged time. On the other, his soulmate was basically rejecting him.

“Sei-chan…” Mibuchi’s voice knocked the redhead out of his stupor. “Why did you just…? Don’t tell me you…?”

Even though his teammate didn’t finish the questions, he knew exactly what was being asked.

“Yes...it’s him…”

 

-

 

Dinner with his father was always a nightmare, Seijuurou had learned that shortly after his mother’s death. The atmosphere was always so...suffocating, judgemental, questioning.

He always dreaded when his father came back from business trips because of that. He could usually avoid the man, but dinner...dinner was a family event.

That was why he found himself in the dining room, staring down at his plate, refusing to eat.

His father, of course didn’t notice. He never noticed, never cared. As long as Seijuurou wore the perfect child facade for the press and allowed himself to become the “perfect heir” for the family, nothing else he did mattered.

“You’re in your second year of high school, Seijuurou.” The redhead flinched, he knew what was coming next. What always came with his father’s visits.

“Yes, father.”

“I was hoping you would have found your soulmate by now.” His father said. Here it came, the verbal thrashing.

“Yes, father…”

“Yet you haven’t. Are you broken?” His father asked. “No Akashi child has taken this long, Seijuurou. I’m disappointed. You’re already lucky to have me forgive you for the embarrassing loss in your club and that’s simply because it’s not important to your future.”

“Of course father, thank you for forgiving me father.” He forced out. He didn’t want to, he didn’t want to be there...but he had no where else he could run to. He had no choice but to try and endure until he was twenty.

“If you don’t find your soulmate soon, Seijuurou, you will no longer call yourself an Akashi.”

Seijuurou bit his lip. “May I...ask a question father?” 

“You are allowed one.”

“I know you have told me that you want my soulmate to be a woman...but what if my soulmate was a man?” He finally asked, staring down at his plate.

“This is a family of tradition, Seijuurou. You want a man on the side, fine I will have no qualms about that, but first and foremost is a wife. That wife must be your soulmate. Every Akashi heir has had a female soulmate and you must follow suit.” He replied. “If your destined one is a man...you can’t very well carry on our tradition, can you?”

“No...I can’t…” Seijuurou bit his lip. How could he share the fact now? He wanted to share it and get his father off his back...Well, Makoto was a fairly feminine name. “I met my soulmate today, father.”

“Is that so?” His father observed him with cold eyes. “What’s her name, son?”

He took a deep breath. “Her name is Makoto.”

“I see…” His father looked him over. “What’s her last name.”

“I sadly wasn’t able to get it. My teammates were being horribly loud and I barely caught her first name.” Seijuurou replied.

“And her school? How you met?”

“Kirisaki Daiichi, she came to watch the practice match and we held a small conversation.” Seijuurou replied, keeping his face blank. He needed his lie to seem believable. 

It seemed to work, too, seeing as his father physically relaxed and seemed pleased with his answer. “Good boy, you’ll do this family proud.”

“...Yes, father.”


	3. Messed Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter :,D

Seijuurou knew he’d done something wrong with Makoto about two weeks after the initial discovery. The first few days he’d thought it was just nerves making him think that Makoto had flinched away from him during the match...that weekend he knew it wasn’t nerves.

He’d gone to Tokyo in hopes of speaking with the Uncrowned King, trying to sort through the entire...soulmates predicament. Maybe even ask for suggestions as to how to deal with the glaring issue with their bond, Makoto seemed smart enough to have suggestions.

As soon as the older boy had seen him, though, he’d turned on his heel and walked off very quickly. He didn’t even try to hide his aversion, Seijuurou was sure.

Still, Seijuurou had tried to persist some, trying to follow him a bit, call out to him and hope he turned back. He never did.

He didn’t let that deter him the first weekend, no, he tried the next too. The results, though, were even worse.

Makoto had stopped and turned to speak with him, he’d thought he was making progress...until the boy spoke.

“Look, I don’t know why you’re following me and it’s getting really god damned annoying.” Makoto frowned at Seijuurou. “If it’s about all that soulmates bullshit...Well you were wrong, I’m not your soulmate.”

“Excuse me?” Seijuurou asked, confusion coming to his face. “You...you felt the tugging too, didn’t you?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Makoto replied and, Seijuurou had to say, if he were anyone else, he’d have believed him. Too bad for Makoto, Seijuurou could notice even the smallest sign of a lie...And he was pretty sure Makoto’s looking down was a sign of that.

“You’re lying…” Seijuurou mumbled, moving towards Makoto slowly. “You felt it, didn’t you?”

“I seriously have no idea what you’re talking about, idiot.” The black haired boy replied, turning away from Seijuurou. “I’m leaving now, go away.”

“Wait, what did I do to upset you?” Seijuurou asked. “Did I do something wrong when it all happened?”

Makoto didn’t reply, he only paused the step he’d begun taking.

“Answer me so I can fix it.”

“There’s nothing to fix, nothing happened.” Makoto replied, moving again. “Now how about you run off and leave me the hell alone?”

 

-

 

Seijuurou found himself staring at the ceiling awake the following Monday. He’d done something wrong, but what? 

Makoto didn’t want anything to do with him despite their soulmate status. In fact, the third year was denying it.

He had to have done something to make Makoto act like that, there was no way he hadn’t done something. He just didn’t know what.

Maybe that’s why he finally grabbed his phone, biting his lip before calling Tetsuya. If anyone could help him, it would be him.

“Hello, Akashi-kun?” The blue haired boy’s voice came through the phone. “It’s pretty late, do you need something.”

“I...need help, Tetsuya.” He finally replied, letting out a shaky breath.

“What do you need, Akashi-kun?”

How did he word this? Did he just say it? Tetsuya wouldn’t react badly would he? Only one way to find out.

“I found my soulmate Tetsuya, I found him…” He took a shaky breath, “But he refuses to accept it.”

“Refuses to accept it?” Tetsuya asked. “Who is your soulmate?’

Seijuurou took a deep breath. “...Hanamiya Makoto.”

Tetsuya didn’t say something for a long while and Seijuurou was afraid he’d said something wrong.

“I see…” Tetsuya finally said in a less than pleased tone. “The could explain it, Akashi-kun. Besides, Hanamiya’s bad news, it would be better to just forget about it.”

“Tetsuya, I can’t just leave this alone, I’ve been worried for so long that I wouldn’t find my soulmate and...now he’s rejecting me. I at least need to know why.” Seijuurou replied.

“...Alright, we should discuss this in person...can you come to Tokyo this weekend?” Tetsuya asked, still sounding less than pleased with the entire thing.

“...I can do that.”

 

-

 

When Seijuurou stepped off the train, he frowned in confusion. Instead of his light blue haired friend standing there, it was his large, purple haired one.

“Atsushi?” Seijuurou asked, approaching the boy. “Why isn’t Tetsuya here?”

“Kuro-chin had things to do, so I came instead~” Atsushi replied. “He just wants me keeping you busy ‘til he’s done.”

“Alright then.” The redhead sighed. “What are we going to be doing.”

“Mmmm, I dunno right now~” Atsushi said. “We can just wander around for now.”

“If you say so.” Seijuurou replied with a frown. Something seemed to be wrong….

He found out what that was when he was walking with the giant and they ran into Makoto. He panicked, he didn’t know what to say to Makoto, he hadn’t gotten any advice from Tetsuya yet. What was he supposed to--

His thoughts left him when Atsushi quite literally pushed the redhead right into Makoto, knocking both of them over.

“That’s Aka-chin’s soulmate, right~?” Atsushi asked. “Maybe you guys should talk everything out now~”

“Atsushi! You can’t just push me into people.” Seijuurou said, jumping up quickly. That was a bad thing, a very bad thing.

He wasn’t ready to accept the fact he had to be in a romantic relationship with Makoto, yet. He’d just wanted to get Makoto to accept it, so they could move onto bigger and better things.

“I don’t think your friend here looks willing to do that…” Makoto said, turning his head away in what was likely embarrassment. “Besides, we’re not soulmates--”

Atsushi sighed, stepping forward and picking Makoto right up off the ground. “Don’t lie~”

“I’m not lying.” Makoto replied, trying to push away.

“I bet you are, ‘cause Aka-chin doesn’t lie.” Atsushi replied, rolling his eyes. “Stop denying you two are soulmates~”

“...If I say that we are will you let me go?” Makoto asked.

“I guess~”   
“Fine then, we’re soulmates, whatever. Doesn’t mean I have to like it, though.” Makoto said as the giant set him down. 

Seijuurou bit his lip at those words. He’d really messed something up, hadn’t he? The question was just how…

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have things to do.” Makoto said, turning on his heel.

“Wait, before you leave you two should swap phone numbers.” Atsushi said, making both the boys freeze.

“Excuse me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully I can do one chapter a day///

**Author's Note:**

> This AU is going to be heavy on the angst at first but eventually get really fluffy, I promise.


End file.
